How much braces cost with insurance

Updated October 12, 2026.

With orthodontic coverage, insurance usually pays a percentage of the fee up to a lifetime maximum, and you pay the rest. A plan paying 50% up to $2,500 would leave you about $3,145 on a $5,645 treatment.

Does dental insurance cover braces?

It depends on the plan and on who is being treated:

• Children: dental coverage is an essential health benefit for children, so Marketplace coverage for anyone 18 or younger must make dental coverage available, either in the health plan or as a separate dental plan (HealthCare.gov). Most dental plans at least partly cover braces for children when they are medically necessary (Healthline).
• Adults: dental coverage isn't an essential health benefit for adults (HealthCare.gov), and most dental plans don't cover braces for adults (Healthline). Some employers offer an orthodontic add-on.
• Stand-alone dental plans can have waiting periods before they cover services for adults, and you pay premiums during the wait (HealthCare.gov).
• Children on Medicaid can get braces when they are medically necessary. See does Medicaid cover braces.

If you have no orthodontic coverage at all, see braces cost without insurance for ways to bring the price down.

When a plan does cover braces, the amount is usually capped well below the price of treatment. In OrthoFi data for 2021 on 112,243 US patients with dental insurance, orthodontic coverage averaged $1,772; 77% qualified for up to $2,000 and 92% for up to $3,000 (Align Technology, citing OrthoFi). Against the US average treatment price of $5,645, an average benefit would leave about $3,873 to pay.

A worked example

Delta Dental of Virginia's member flyer works through a plan with 50% coinsurance and a $2,500 lifetime orthodontic maximum, on a $6,000 treatment lasting 36 months. When the braces went on, the plan paid $500: half of the $1,500 initial banding fee, capped at $500. It then paid $57.14 a month for the remaining 35 months, which brings the total to the $2,500 maximum. If the policy ends before treatment does, the payments stop (Delta Dental of Virginia).

The chart and table show what a plan like that pays in total at different treatment prices.

How to find out what your plan will pay

Don't guess. The AAO suggests asking your insurer what percentage it covers, the lifetime maximum, any age limit for orthodontic coverage, and whether your orthodontist must be in network (AAO). Then ask the orthodontist to request a pre-determination of benefits: an estimate from the insurer showing your share of the cost and what the plan will pay (Delta Dental of Virginia). With an in-network orthodontist, the office usually submits the claim when the braces are placed; out of network, you may need to file it yourself (Delta Dental of Virginia).

In network or out of network

You can usually see any licensed orthodontist, but your costs may be lower in network. In Delta Dental of Virginia's plans, for example, the plan pays an in-network orthodontist directly, while for an out-of-network orthodontist it pays you, the member (Delta Dental of Virginia). Ask how your plan handles both before you choose a practice.

If your insurance changes during treatment

Orthodontic treatment lasts longer than many jobs, so this is common. Plans that pay in installments stop paying when coverage ends (Delta Dental of Virginia). A new plan may pick up the months you're covered: in Delta Dental of Virginia's second example, a $5,000 treatment had started under a previous insurer that had already considered $1,000, and the new plan then paid $51.73 a month for the 29 remaining months (Delta Dental of Virginia). Ask your orthodontist to send the original claim to the new insurer.

Two-phase treatment and extractions

If a child has early treatment and a second phase later, check how the plan counts it. In Delta Dental of Virginia's plans, both phases together are limited to the one lifetime orthodontic maximum (Delta Dental of Virginia). Teeth that need removing before braces may be covered under your basic or major dental benefits and count toward the annual maximum instead, or under the orthodontic benefit if they're needed for orthodontic reasons (Delta Dental of Virginia). A pre-determination clears this up in advance.

What to check in your plan

• Does the plan include orthodontics at all, and is there an age limit?
• What is the coinsurance percentage and the lifetime orthodontic maximum?
• Is there a waiting period before orthodontic benefits start?
• Does the plan only pay the cost of metal braces if you choose ceramic, lingual or aligners?
• Does the orthodontist need to be in network for the full benefit, and who files the claim?
• Will the office request a pre-determination of benefits before treatment starts, so you know your share in writing (Delta Dental of Virginia)?
• Are retainers after treatment covered, and are replacement retainers covered (Delta Dental of Virginia)?
• If you change jobs or plans mid-treatment, how does the new plan handle treatment already in progress?

Does insurance cover Invisalign?

Often, if the plan covers orthodontics. Delta Dental of Virginia says all its plans that cover orthodontic services cover Invisalign (Delta Dental of Virginia). Other plans pay only what metal braces would cost and leave you the difference (Healthline). Either way the lifetime maximum still applies. See how much Invisalign costs.

Combine insurance with pre-tax money

The part insurance doesn't cover can usually be paid from an HSA or FSA, because the IRS counts braces as a dental expense when they treat a dental problem (IRS Publication 502). That lowers your real cost by your tax rate.

For 2025, the most you can put into a health FSA is $3,300. FSAs are generally use-it-or-lose-it each plan year, though a plan may allow a grace period of up to 2½ months or a carryover of up to $660 (IRS Publication 969). Since insurance usually pays in installments, work out your share for each plan year and set your FSA election to match.